One of the more underrated storylines heading into the Tennessee Titans’ season opener is the long-awaited return of Pro Bowl pass-rusher, Harold Landry.
The last time we saw Landry on the field was during the gut-wrenching playoff loss to the Cincinnati Bengals during the 2021 season, where he accounted for 1.5 of the team’s nine sacks on the day.
Buy Titans TicketsIn total, the Boston College product totaled 13.5 sacks, 81 tackles, 15 tackles for loss and 22 quarterback hits throughout the 2021 season (playoffs included).
While there is no way to truly know how Landry will bounce back from his unfortunate ACL injury that ended his 2022 campaign before it even began, we’ve heard nothing but positive reviews from himself, as well as from coaches and teammates, who have all stated that he looks like the same player he was prior to the injury.
#Titans DC Shane Bowen on @HaroldLandry — would never know he’s coming off a torn ACL. pic.twitter.com/GPhkI5Fpio
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) August 1, 2023
And the excitement for his return is palpable.
“Guys like Harold, those tackles (are) afraid of his speed,” Jeffery Simmons said during a press conference a few weeks back. “They never know what might happen. He can go to power (move) or whatever it may be.”
Safety Amani Hooker echoed the same sentiments during a recent presser.
“You can feel (his presence),” said Hooker. “You can tell by the quarterback’s clock. It’s running whenever he’s in the game. You can feel his energy when he’s making plays in the run game and the pass game. Whenever Harold is out there, we’re a lot better as a defense.”
It’s easy to see why his defensive teammates are excited about the inevitable return of the Boston College product.
Back in 2021, Landry’s average get-off from the line of scrimmage was 0.86 seconds, which ranked No. 1 among all of the defensive linemen and linebackers who played at least 900 snaps, per Next Gen Stats.
As far as strictly edge rushers go, Landry ranked No. 1 in hustle stops (14), pressure rate (10.9 percent), stuffs (eight), stuff rate (2.4 percent) and sack rate (2.7 percent).
Harold Landry generated 14 hustle stops last season, 4 more than any other EDGE defender.
Landry's versatility was on display in 2021, as he was one of three players to record 10+ sacks while also dropping into coverage on at least 100 snaps (Micah Parsons & Matt Judon). https://t.co/9rrfC55b9a pic.twitter.com/4xGdF53d3k
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) March 9, 2022
In fact, the former second-round pick only trailed the Los Angeles Rams’ Aaron Donald in total pressures (49) and sacks (12) among those defenders who accounted for at least 900 defensive snaps on the year.
Adding that type of talent and potential production to an already stout Titans defense should make that group even more formidable than it showed it was without him last season.
Thankfully, the Titans are in a position where they won’t have to solely rely on Landry, who typically plays a ton of snaps. Instead, they can ease him back into the lineup.
Head coach Mike Vrabel stated on Monday that the Titans are hopeful they’ll be able to manage the veteran defender’s snaps thanks to their depth, which was improved with the addition of edge rusher Trevis Gipson.
“Hopefully,” Vrabel said of managing Landry’s snaps, per Jim Wyatt of TennesseeTitans.com. “I think, as we get more players that can rotate and sub in there and be productive, then I think that’s something that could happen.”
Regardless of how much he does or doesn’t play throughout the early portion of the season, one thing is for sure, it’s going to be an exciting time seeing No. 58 wreaking havoc along the edge once again in 2023.
